This paper presents a teaching approach for academic writing utilizing a model essay where the structures of paragraphs and functions of citations are visualized. This practice proposes displaying academic writings that include the paragraph structure, how the citations function, and how the structure and citations are correlated to each other and the overall organization of the essay.

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This paper reports on a collaborative learning project involving two foreign caregivers and ten university students in a Japanese language teacher training program. The project aims to enhance the students’ understanding of foreign caregivers and to facilitate discussions about nursing care. In this project, university students interviewed foreign caregivers about their work and collaborated to create a leaflet. Through the project, the foreign caregivers developed confidence by expressing their work experiences in Japanese. Meanwhile, the university students’ perception of foreign caregivers changed positively, and they gained a detailed understanding of the caregivers’ experiences. This project provided an opportunity for them to think about and discuss social issues as fellow citizens.

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This study argues that Japanese language teachers need to have a gender perspective and knowledge of gender in order to provide career support to Japanese language learners. Japanese language learners are likely to be confused by the difference in circumstances between Japanese society and their own country, where there is a large gender gap, and therefore a gender perspective is required when providing career education. If Japanese language teachers are aware of the possibility that gender stereotypes are likely to influence the number of men and women working in a particular occupation, they can point out that the descriptions in textbooks and the reality of Japanese society are different.

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While the use of ICT in Japanese language teaching has increased in recent years, the traditional paper-based method is still common in kanji instruction. On the other hand, a new feature, ‘Practice Sets,’ was introduced to the Japanese version of Google Classroom in July 2023, allowing for handwritten input. In exploring its potential in kanji instruction, the author attempted using this feature in writing practice in kanji classes. While learners responded positively, practical challenges were observed, such as slow performance, the inaccuracy of character recognition, and the inability to print.

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This exploratory case study examined the influence of L1 use as mediation in L2 reading comprehension. Based on the retelling task in intermediate Japanese class, the author analyzed the proportion of notes taken in L1 concerning the rate of successfully retold idea units of reading materials. The result indicates no correlation between the proportion of notes taken in L1 and the rate. In addition, the rate of successfully retold idea units does not correlate with the difficulty/readability level of the reading materials. A more detailed and wider range of data collection is needed to be addressed in future studies.

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This paper introduces teaching materials for class of elementary level of Japanese to promote collaborative activities between volunteers and international students. The university course in which the trial was conducted actively promoted collaboration between international students and volunteers. The post course evaluation shows high support from both parties. However, it is not always easy to dispel participants' hesitation and create a collaborative classroom setting. The teaching materials reported attempt to resolve these issues by giving both parties identical goals and common tasks while information they were asked to provide was equal in quality and quantity.

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This is a case study that clarifies the learning experiences of exchange student “Mr. U” through his part-time job and club activities outside of Japanese language classes. From the viewpoint of Taigu communication, a qualitative analysis of interview survey data revealed his realization that the timing of the transition from acquaintance to friend was subtle with Japanese speakers, and that transition varied from person to person. This study captures the way in which Mr. U proactively perceived the relationships and places surrounding him and how he engaged in communication, as well as the learning that he achieved in the process.

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Our institute is a preparatory Japanese language education institution that accepts newly-arrived international students. However, our students are not allowed to advance to the undergraduate course automatically. Therefore, we need to provide our students with career guidance. In this paper, we report on the effectiveness and challenges of our career guidance, including the awareness raising of students in the "Writing," "Reading," and "Japanese Circumstances" classes, and the collaboration with other vocational schools and the career guidance office of our affiliated vocational school.

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In this study, we will examine the four words, 'Machimachi,' 'Samazama,' 'Sorezore,' and 'Iroiro.' First, we will clarify the similarities and differences in the meanings of the four words from dictionary descriptions and examples. Based on the above, from the perspective of applied cognitive linguistics, we will attempt to create a teaching material that enables learners to grasp the semantic features of each word from multiple examples and to confirm these features with an image of the word.

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This paper introduces methods for instructing Japanese language presentations to engineering graduate students at the beginner level of Japanese proficiency and discusses their effectiveness and future perspectives. Concerning the introduction of research, it is distinctive compared to regular classes at the beginner level as it involves acquiring vocabulary commonly used in the research lab and learning expressions applicable to graduate school life, including job hunting. The content acquired in this presentation class is considered applicable even in intermediate and advanced levels.

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In this study, the author focused on the initiation of narratives in casual conversation in Japanese-Chinese contact situations, and clarified the characteristics of the sequence organization consisting of narrator and listener utterances. The analysis revealed the following; (1) the sequence of narrative initiation has two patterns, one is "basic pattern" which consisting of the first and second utterances, the other is "extended pattern" which the sequence is extended. (2) learners were active as narrators, although as listeners, they were less active in initiating the narrative in the first utterance and in responding to the narrative of the native speakers.

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This paper questioned the "age-ness" that is taken granted for "natural," and aimed to emancipate the people who are oppressed by them and diminish stereotypes. Employing project-based learning, this practice integrated activities designed to foster an understanding of age diversity. This paper elucidates the implementation process and offers reflections on the conducted activities.

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This study examines the distribution of ‘sokuon’ (obstruent geminates) in introductory Japanese textbook vocabulary with special focus on the pitch-accent patterns and word-internal positions. The study aims to explore the role of phonetic input in the early stages of learning Japanese. We hypothesized an asymmetrical distribution of ‘sokuon’ in syllables with HL (high-low) pitch-accent pattern and LH (low-high) pattern, expecting the HL pattern to be more common. Results from an analysis of a vocabulary list compiled from three textbooks suggest that while ‘sokuon’ with the LH pattern is more prevalent overall, the HL pattern is more common in word-final positions.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify issues concerning Japanese language support for children with Sri Lankan roots who live in Sammu City, Chiba, and propose measures to support their education in the future. In our analysis of semi-structured interviews with support staff, we identified not only issues with Japanese language competency, but differences in academic ability, attitudes towards learning, concepts of time held by parents, and rules expected in Japanese schools. We recommend that families, schools, and municipalities deepen their collaboration under a common aim in order to provide better support to foreign children in the future.

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This study focused on production in a second language and developed a voice chat system using generative AI based on a large language model (LLM-GAI/Large Language Model Generative). We believed that through dialogues with this LLM-GAI, students would be able to produce their target language while improving their abilities to search for and gather information. Thus, we used LLM-GAI to give a classroom presentation to JFL students. The purpose of this study was to test whether LLM-GAI would be effective in promoting production.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an online dialogue activity in Japanese with an emphasis on welfare for symbiosis on participants' relationships and personal well-being. The results showed that the participants were weakly connected to each other. Participants were able to learn from a diverse group of people they would not encounter in their daily lives and experienced the sense of fulfillment and enjoyment associated with this learning experience. These participants have the potential to transform their emotions and behaviors, which is considered a step toward achieving personal well-being.

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Administrative tasks are essential for the management of education of Japanese language teachers. The authors analyzed and reviewed studies that included administrative tasks, and added some tasks and enhanced the list of these tasks. In addition to the 29 classifications of Nakagawa et al. (2020), from Enatsu (2021), employment, official examinations, student recruitment, etc. were added to 'external task' category, and research and development of methods and materials, and teacher training were included in 'evaluation, teacher training and FD' category. From Otachi (2021), volunteer co-ordination and liaison were added to 'Teacher and volunteer management' category.

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This paper reports on the practice of conducting a flipped classroom using the video material Xuan Tackles Japan! The video was viewed as a pre-task, and many related discussion activities were conducted in class. Consequently, the following effects were observed. (1) Participants were able to enjoy working on the pre-task without feeling burdened, which helped them gain confidence before the class. (2) This led to an increase in output and lively exchanges and conversations in class.

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This study focused on the expressions of refusal to re-invite and compared the features of using the expressions between native Japanese speakers and Chinese learners of Japanese. The results show that both groups commonly employ "reason" and "hesitation". Conversely, Japanese native speakers use "alternative" while Chinese learners of Japanese use "apology".

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In this study, we analyzed the listener behaviors of Chinese learners of Japanese in third-party compliment discourses conducted by native Japanese speakers. The results revealed that CJL tended to use back-channel more frequently. Moreover, within active behaviors, there was a noticeable tendency among CJL to express opinions, evaluations, and convey information frequently. From these findings, it can be observed that CJL show an inclination to facilitate the progression of discourses and actively engage in interactions. Furthermore, considering the occurrence of conflicting opinions exclusively within friendships, there is a suggestion that CJL might express opposing opinions as a means of demonstrating closeness with JNS.

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In this study, we developed VR-based educational materials targeting Japanese language learners in higher education in Taiwan. This was done with an aim of enhancing intercultural understanding and motivation for learning the language. We utilized HTC’s “Vive paper” and included 360-degree visuals and photographs of Japanese tourist destinations, such as Shibuya, Ueno, and Asakusa. Subsequently, we administered a questionnaire survey. The results revealed that learners were satisfied with the VR materials, which led to an increased motivation to visit Japan and heightened their enthusiasm for learning Japanese. Additionally, a greater understanding of Japanese culture emerged as a result of using the educational materials.

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Request is a linguistic expression used to ask someone else to do something. The author analyzed non-face-to-face conversations where facial expressions and tone of voice cannot be clearly conveyed, using LINE conversation data obtained from Chinese learners of Japanese and native Japanese speakers. In order to maintain smooth interpersonal relationships in such situation, we will explore the Consideration Representation used when making requests on SNS between Japan and China.

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This research focuses on the Japanese language learning of the foreign care technical intern trainees outside the working facilities. the study included semi-structured interviews to identify the participants’ Japanese language learning situation and the methods that support their learning. Since individual and collaborative learning is applied outside the workplace, developing ways to continue learning with the support of those around the care technical intern trainees and to create a support system for Japanese language learning is necessary.

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Universities typically conduct course design sessions upon which class syllabus contents are established for student registration. In practice, as a course progresses, changes to the initial syllabus are common for various reasons. Even if changes are made for the benefit of the students and the final course evaluations are good, the students’ genuine opinions about the changes are not easily captured through the standard course evaluations that focus on overall course quality. This paper presents a practical case of mid-semester syllabus changes, including student evaluations, and discusses key considerations when making syllabus adjustments during the semester.

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This study investigated the acquisition of the polysemous Japanese verb toru (“take”) by 54 Chinese learners of Japanese. We examined the acquisition of various meanings of toru through a task requiring the students to judge the appropriateness of the collocations involving toru. The results showed that the acquisition of the various meanings of toru can be divided into three levels. The results clarified the differences in learners’ acquisition of polysemous words between JSL and JFL study environments.

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In this study, the observers in a Japanese language teaching practice at an university, employed rubric to provide feedback to students. The purpose of the feedback was for the students to reflect on and improve on their teaching. The results of analysis show a certain number of comments did not fall under any category present in the rubric used. This paper is an attempt to create a revised version of the rubric by classifying these comments.

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Every word in Japanese is associated with a specific person’s image. There is a certain significance in incorporating this connection into Japanese language education. Therefore, we conducted a class on final particles and modality with this connection in mind. Additionally, students were given the task of creating a video. In this paper, we report on this practice. Through the assignments, the learners consolidated their understanding of the connections between final particles, modalities, and figures, and realized that other vocabulary elements were also connected to a person’s image and that they could apply them to real-life language usage.

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This paper presents one method of instructing students on how to efficiently curate sources for academic writing beyond merely introducing search engines. This practice implies that displaying the process of curating sources for citation in academic writing in a step-by-step manner enables students to efficiently find necessary information, which could help them write essays more effectively.

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This study presents a blended beginner's grammar course for short-term international students that combines face-to-face classes with on-demand teaching material. It discusses how the introduction of on-demand material altered the course design from the conventional face-to-face class by using the SAMR model. The study contained within confirms that the use of on-demand material facilitates a course redesign (Modification (M)) and increases opportunities for new activities such as sentence pattern practice and other tasks in the face-to-face classes (Redefinition (R)). Furthermore, the provided survey indicates that many students found the material helpful for their own studies and did not perceive a significant burden in learning with on-demand material.

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This study introduces a training program designed for community Japanese language volunteers. The primary goal was to empower participants with a methodology based on the ARCS model to boost learner motivation and, consequently, foster a greater sense of fulfilment among volunteers. Faced with challenges in group discussions during the initial training, the authors strategically employed counterexamples to facilitate smooth and constructive discussions in a subsequent session catering to both novice and experienced volunteers.

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This study, based on data from I-JAS, investigates the usage of topic noun phrases by Chinese-speaking learners of Japanese. The target participants were Japanese native speakers consisting of 17 students aged 20 to 32, and Chinese-speaking learners of Japanese consisting of 31 students aged 19 to 24. All of the learners resided overseas (in China) and were native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. The results indicate that: 1) Learners tend to excessively use "wa" when expanding topic noun phrases; 2) The use of [ pronoun + "wa"] did not appear in the data from native Japanese speakers, indicating it is a characteristic unique to learners of Japanese.

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This research examines the temporal change of masculine and feminine language usage in Japanese literature by analyzing the sentence-ending particles in novels awarded the Akutagawa Prize from 2010 to 2022. Building upon Cao's (2005) earlier study, ten selected works by both male and female authors were investigated. The results revealed a nuanced shift in language dynamics, challenging previous findings. Overall, the study suggests that gender-specific language patterns have undergone notable changes in the past decade.

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This study analyzed the Chinese and Japanese parallel corpora and examined the differences in meaning of two sets of homographs "就業/就職" between Japanese and Chinese. Using a combined methodology of quantitative and qualitative analysis, it extensively investigated relevant examples in the first edition of the Chinese-Japanese parallel corpus. The results revealed that "就业" is a proper subset of "就業," encompassing the meanings of both "就職" and "就業." Furthermore, "就職" is translated not only as "就业" or "就职," but also as "职业" and "工作". By comparing the semantic range of these homographs, this study provides a new perspective on the research of homographs between Japanese and Chinese.

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This paper examines how knowledge and attitudes toward the “Social, Cultural, and Regional” categorization needed in the training stage are developed and cultivated in an introductory Japanese language education course for first-year university students. Analysis of the students’ self-reflection sheets revealed that students gained knowledge through individual work, in-class dialogue, and post-class reflection. However, it was also suggested that students developed proper attitudes toward relevant issues not only through in-class polyphonic dialogue and post-class self-reflection but also by considering subject matters sympathetically from the perspective of Japanese language learners.

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This study examines the awareness of student staff managing extracurricular social activities between international and domestic students where Japanese is the common language. Analysis of the interview data suggests that the student staff’s motivation for the activities is the fun of the exchanges and the satisfaction of being a peer supporter. Furthermore, their staff activities cultivate their knowledge and attitudes regarding different cultures as well as improve their social skills.

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Since 2016, A Japanese IT company has been actively recruiting Vietnamese employees with strong IT knowledge. Although all new hires start with a Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 level, the company sponsors weekly Japanese language training for the first five years, continuing the training until individuals achieve a J1 or higher on the Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) two consecutive times. Since April 2023, the authors have conducted weekly individualized online Japanese language training for four Vietnamese employees. The training contents have evolved from BJT score improvement to include daily work and life-related topics. This paper reports on the evolution of the training.

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This study aims to shed light on the application of the "Suspended Form" in emails. A total of 1040 email samples from 31 native Japanese speakers and 34 beginner-intermediate level learners, using 16 tasks, were collected. Analyzing its use, natives utilized the Suspended Form 183 times, while learners used it in only 10 instances. The Suspended Form was applied by natives when addressing superiors or explaining tasks, notably in contexts such as clarifying reasons for absences or canceling event participation. These findings suggest encouraging the use of the Suspended Form in email instruction, tailored to the task's demands.

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This research investigates the elements necessary for building a Community of Practice in the early phase within the context of Japanese online class. The result of the web survey reveals 3 necessary factors: (1) an understanding of the value of community and a sense of belonging, (2) interactions and collaborations between members, and (3) activeness in the community as a member. These factors are expected to be used in further analyses, such as examining correlation with learners’ access to casual interaction, their learning achievement, and learning satisfaction. These results may be utilized to contribute to the improvement of Japanese online class.

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This study aimed to clarify the process and underlying factors of the choice by former Japanese language teachers to discontinue their teaching careers. We interviewed three former Japanese language teachers and analyzed their responses using the trajectory equifinality approach (TEA). Their common path was that they were in unstable situations (e.g., having multiple part-time jobs) and experienced a triggering event resulting in quitting teaching and changing careers. In addition to income instability and a sense of crisis, the underlying factors included characteristics of the Japanese language teaching profession, such as the precarity of part-time teaching, scarcity of full-time positions, and susceptibility to social conditions.

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21st-century competencies, such as communication, collaboration, and global and cross-cultural competence, are advocated as educational goals for higher education in Singapore, and there is a general awareness that instructors aim to enhance the student's growth mindset, self-reflection, and self-efficacy. This paper will examine the learner's self-reflection on an international exchange with Japanese students from Japan in an introductory Japanese language classroom in Singapore and show the concrete processes through which the learners started to display a sense of achievement, self-growth, and self-efficacy after having the exchange. The student's voices will show the positive effects of language learning on self-affirmation and self-efficacy.

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This study reports on competency-based learning (CBL) Japanese language classes conducted during a training program in Japan for secondary Japanese-language Thai teachers. The lessons aimed to (1) improve Japanese language skills and competencies and (2) promote understanding of CBL. Participants’ ability to speak with consideration of others, organize cause-and-effect relationships using charts, and think and self-learn were reinforced. However, results indicate that a review of the lesson themes is necessary.

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This study is a report on classroom practice conducted to apply the insights from Japanese language education to general education of university students. After learning the philosophy and methods of “easy Japanese,” students learned the importance of expressions that suit the audience and occasions, as well as increased their own awareness and practiced responding flexibly to difficult expressions. The class was focused on practice through group activities. As a result, students made presentations which were easy for people with diverse backgrounds to understand (e.g. choice of vocabulary, pronunciation). On the other hand, writing showed that students can also handle more academic expressions. In order to live in a multicultural society, it is critical to be able to adapt verbal expressions flexibly for the audience and occasions.

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The authors analyzed the adjustments made by three Chinese students and two Japanese students in five-person conversations conducted during online-conversation sessions. It was found that the Chinese students seemed to better understand Japanese when the Japanese students pre-adjusted their utterances based on the conversation materials. Also, it was observed that both Chinese students and Japanese students adjusted their utterances, such as by showing each other what they were saying in text form, and rephrasing their utterances using easier vocabulary and grammar. Moreover, the Chinese students formed a team and the Japanese students formed a team to resolve problems of turn-taking and communication.

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Currently, there is no official surveys have been conducted on the number and status of non-native Japanese language teachers (NNTs) currently working in Japan. This study conducted a survey on the employment of NNTs in Japanese-language schools in Japan, as well as an awareness survey of NNTs. The results revealed that the percentage of Japanese language schools that employ NNTs is only 5.0%. It was also found that NNTs experience as learners leads to an understanding of teaching methods, the psychology of learning, and the interests of learners, which they apply to their teaching practice.

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Starting my role as a Japanese language teacher, I noticed a gap between expectations and actual demands. Teaching extends beyond language, involving diverse managerial tasks. Previous companies provided guidance, but the Japanese language school lacked such resources. Leveraging insights from past roles enhances my current duties. This awareness prompted recognition of the need to fill this gap by creating a systematic method for imparting skills. In this study, I organized prior research, creating a list outlining management and operational duties in my school. This list aids new Japanese language teachers in seamlessly acquiring these responsibilities.

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This paper reports on the changes that occurred in awareness in an advanced Japanese writing class through peer response activities (referred to as "PR"). An analysis of the comments made by learners on peer compositions and of their reflections on PR revealed that PR could increase the learners’ focus points. In their reflections on PR, students mentioned clarity and points of interest, indicating an increase in awareness towards their readers.

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In this study, we present the necessity of clarifying the beliefs for Japanese language learning in order to review the method of Japanese language education for foreign children, and we have shown three viewpoints to grasp the beliefs of the second language learners presented by Barcelos (2003). Then, we carried out the Legitimate peripheral participation theory related to the features of this viewpoint. Finally, this paper presents future problems expected to be influencing factors that will occur in the belief.

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The expansion of credentialing frameworks has led to the diversification and multi-nationalization of foreign care workers. Even among caregivers who are not required to take the state examination of certified care workers, it is highly likely that a certain number will take the examination in the future. This also means that there is a growing need for multilingual Japanese-language nursing materials. In response to this current situation, the author's research group decided to develop a new multilingual web dictionary of nursing terminology in four languages (in the future, six languages).

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